💷 Coin Toss: British Edition 💷

Pounds, pence, quids, and fivers — British money has a language all of its own. Think you know your sterling from your shillings? Let's find out how much you really know about the British monetary system.

For items 1–15, unscramble the set of letters next to each clue to find the answer. There is an example done for you.

Example: This is the country whose currency the pound sterling belongs to. [ENKITUD MODINGK]
Answer: United Kingdom

The official name of the UK's currency is pound 1. ____ [RTSLIEGN]. It is divided into 100 2. ____ [EPCNE], meaning that smaller amounts are counted in these rather than in pounds. British coins are produced at the Royal 3. ____ [TMNI], which is based in Llantrisant, Wales, and has been making coins since the 9th century.

The institution responsible for issuing UK banknotes is the 4. ____ [KBNA FO LENAGDN], which was founded in 1694 and remains one of the oldest central banks in the world. If you ever hear a British person casually refer to a pound as a 5. ____ [DQIU], don't be confused — it's just slang, much like "buck" for a dollar in American English.

Before the UK switched to a decimal system in 1971, the pound was divided into 20 6. ____ [SSLNGLHII], and each of those was worth 7. ____ [VETLWE] old pennies — which made everyday maths quite the challenge! Since 2016, UK banknotes have been printed on 8. ____ [ELOPRYM], a durable plastic-like material that makes them harder to fake and longer-lasting than paper.

Today, the highest denomination banknote in circulation is the 9. ____ [TIFFY NPOSDU] note. Among the coins, one of the most recognisable is the 50p, which stands out because of its 10. ____ [NOTAPEHALG] shape — it has seven sides rather than the usual round design. A £5 note is often informally called a 11. ____ [IFREV], while a £10 note goes by the nickname 12. ____ [NREETN].

Interestingly, the £ symbol itself comes from the Latin word 13. ____ [BALRI], which means weight — a reminder of the currency's ancient roots. If you look closely at the £50 note, you'll find the face of 14. ____ [NALA NTIGRU], the brilliant mathematician and code-breaker who helped crack the Enigma code during World War II. Finally, the 15. ____ [LEILITMCAB] two-pound coin, introduced in 1998, is easy to spot — it's made of two different metals, giving it its distinctive gold and silver appearance.

Which ones have you gotten right? Drop your answers below!

#prove_your_prowess@level_APO

Virulent
adjective
🇬🇧 /ˈvɪr.ə.lənt/
🇺🇸 /ˈvɪr.jə.lənt/

: (of a disease or poison) extremely dangerous or harmful and quick to have an effect; showing strong negative and bitter feelings

Amaranta felt humiliated and told Pietro Crespi with a virulent anger that she was prepared to stop her sister's wedding even if her own dead body had to lie across the door.

— One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The harmless bacteria had somehow “transformed” into the virulent form.

— The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Noun: virulence

#word_finds@level_APO